August has been a month of new reads and re-reads! I finished watching Schitt’s Creek and had a desire to re-read Tessa Bailey’s It Happened One Summer that was loosely inspired by the show and Alexis’ failed love story. Following on from the fishing theme, I watched a fascinating documentary on BBC iPlayer called Cornwall: The Fishing Life that explored the trials and tribulations of Cornish fishermen and how Brexit and the pandemic impacted their lives. It’s a must watch and eye-opening to the plight of fishermen and how the heritage is slowing being eroded through tourism in the area, lack of affordable housing and competition from big fishing companies with larger trawler ships. I always loved visiting Cornwall on holiday growing up and have affinity to the coast, so much so that the sea features heavily in my debut novel that I’m currently querying! This month has seen me read a few lesser books than I’d like but I have been busy sending out my first batch query letters to literary agents, which has taken my attention away from reading. Aside from a coastal romance, I read a historical fiction ARC of Operation Tulip that was filled with daring undercover espionage and action that concluded the series perfectly. As ever, thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for sending me ARCs of upcoming releases in exchange for my honest review.
Review
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*
Deborah Swift has done it again! Operation Tulip has immersive writing, compelling plot and captivating characters! I couldn’t put this book down and read it in a day, it was that addictive.
This is the third in the series and just as fast paced and enjoyable. I’ve enjoyed reading each book in this series and really liked going to back to Nancy and Tom’s story arc and seeing how their characters develop towards the end of the war and how tired and downtrodden they become, yet are still fuelled with a fire for victory. This book explores life in a domestic setting inside German occupied Holland with the lack of food and rations and the growing members of the resistance. Many, who risk their lives everyday in small acts of rebellion. Swift sensitively honours those who put their life on the line for the resistance and allies and acknowledges the sacrifices made in wartime. In particular, Swift explores female agents and what they needed to do to gain insider knowledge. The plot also presents the breakdown of German morale and showing many men doing what it means to survive, rather than an unwavering allegiance to Hitler’s plans.
The novel has many unlikeable and nasty villains that are very ruthless, and will stop at nothing to achieve what they want, this is especially presented through Schneider. These characters help the reader root for Nancy and Tom’s success. Swift explores the power struggles within these occupied territories. The inclusion of many resistance members posing as German allies is also well-written that presents the sacrifices many made to infiltrate the ranks and the dangers involved. Swift articulates the way war changes people, not just in appearance but psychologically and these scars are presented through Tom and Nancy, who in book one (The Silk Code) are full of hope, but by the end of the war need time to adjust to a new way of life once the war is over.
Overall, a fast paced and dangerous historical fiction of hope, sacrifice and danger that captures the time period and the emotions in an addictive read. This series is well worth the read!
It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey is a Schitt’s Creek inspired romance where socialite Piper Bellinger is sent away to the small port town West Port for three months to learn some valuable lessons. She meets Brendan, the local Captain of the Della Ray who is grumpy, stuck in his ways and will do anything to keep his daily routine in check. I first read this book in 2022 and loved setting, the characters and story but actually read the second book in the series first, Hook, Line and Sinker then read this book after. I love Piper’s character and how opposite she is to Brendan and the emotional depth and her devotion to her sister is really endearing. I did feel that the second half of the book slowed down a lot in terms of pace and any character development and could have done with a different style of conflict. But it was still an enjoyable read even the second time round. Apparently I’m in my fisherman era as I devoured the BBC documentary and couldn’t get enough of learning about fishing and port towns.
I didn’t really connect with Brendan as a character in comparison to his friend Fox, who is the main love interest in the second book and I thought he was too obsessive and dominating over Piper. I think this is a theme for many of Tessa Bailey’s books and some male characters I really like and others are a miss – this is just personal preference. As much as I enjoyed the opposites attract and enemies to lovers trope, I thought the romance was rushed and relied on physical attraction rather than personality or character development. Nevertheless, it was still a good read. Overall, I could happily reread this series and fall in love with these characters. It was an easy read, funny and heartwarming moments. I just didn’t enjoy it as much as the second book and couldn’t connect with the characters in places.
The final book I read in August was the second in the Bellinger Sisters series by Tessa Bailey – Hook, Line and Sinker – again a reread that I initially read in 2022 and adored. This book sees Piper’s sister Hannah take the film crew the works for to West Port, while she stays with Fox. She soon realises her crush on director Sergei is nothing to what she feels for Fox and a slow burn romance ensues. This book also follows Fox’s fears to taking on more responsibility and commitments that Hannah helps him work through during the course of the book.
This was the first romance I read by the author and the second Booktok recommended book after reading The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. Initially the plot and pacing felt much tighter and didn’t drag on as much as the first book. I wasn’t a massive fan of the novel’s conflict and still unsure how things got resolved, but I was still happy with how the book finished. I liked Fox from his first appearance in It Happened One Summer and preferred his character and his friendship with Hannah appeared to have greater foundation and emotional depth in comparison to Piper and Brendan. This book had a few sub-plots and threads that made the story have greater interest with Fox’s past, his relationship with his mum and Sergei and the film crew in West Port. The friends to lovers trope was more natural and the dialogue created better tension, especially as their relationship was a slow burn.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this reread of the series and would probably read again in the future. This series is the perfect summer read and out of all the Tessa Bailey book I’ve read I still come back this series. She is a talented author who can create interesting characters, situations and plots that provides a palette cleanser between books. In recent years, I have had a problem with some of Tessa Bailey’s male characters to be dominating and possessive, which has turned me off reading some of her books. But I think this is personal preference and there have been some books aside from this series I’ve really enjoyed such as Unfortunately Yours and Wreck the Halls.
Final thoughts
Another successful month of reading. This month has taught me that re-reading my favourites books is always a good idea. I often dislike reading a book I’ve already read for fear of it not living up to the memory I had when I first read it. I think this allows a greater understanding of the characters and plot that is sometimes missed when reading for the first time. Now the weather is turning and autumn is on the way, I will turn my attention to cosy winter reads and I’m currently reading an ARC soaked in Christmas cheer – too early some may say, but I can’t get enough of the cosy romances in small towns.
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Amy is a writer and reviewer and is currently querying literary agents with her Pirates of the Caribbean X Bridgerton debut Adult fantasy novel. For more content click here to read book reviews, short stories and updates on Amy’s writing journey.
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